South Severian Community
The South Severian Confederation (Eastonian: Sydseveriska förbundet, Therionese: Südseverischer Bund) is a formal political union of the Hekkian and Therionese states which are situated around the Black Kelp Bay in southwestern Severia. It borders Red Pepperland to the northeast. The union was officially founded in 2 CE with the signing of the Articles of Confederation by colonial delegates from Hekkia and Therion but the foundation for it was laid earlier in Project Utopia, a top secret colonization effort by the Eastonian and Reuselerrian governments in the late 1st century BCE. Today, South Severia is one of the world's wealthiest and most developed regions with a GDP per capita far above the world average. History Project Utopia (28 BCE - 1 CE) There are very few sources confirming the existence of Project Utopia, but records of a closed door meeting between Eastonian President Akzelius Gurra and Reuselerrian Prime Minister Vanessa Câble in 28 BCE stipulating a top-secret addendum to a trade agreement being negotiated between the two nations outlines a plan to "preserve the diversity of New Iotania in the event of apocalypse" with two major operations: an underground survival bunker in the recently acquired Empress Islands headed by the Reuselerrian military, and an Eastonian-lead project to colonize and settle far-away lands. The latter is what came to be known as Project Utopia with the first wave of settlers arriving in the Centralian archipelago of Severia in 1 BCE, from where they travelled southwest to designated coordinates. First Confederation Era (2 - 48 CE) Colonization was initially a successful endeavour but due to the vast distances involved, contact with New Iotania was limited and it soon became clear that operating under the command of the Eastonian and Reuselerrian governments was unsustainable. In 2 CE, colonial delegates from the settlements of Akzeleå and Viviensmund signed the Articles of Confederation which laid the foundation of Hekkia and Therion as autonomous sister states within a South Severian union. This move was largely symbolic as this de facto constitution granted full autonomy for both states with no provision for any central government beyond the capability of the separate state governments to meet and sign treaties to that effect. While Hekkia had declared itself officially independent from Eastonia with the introduction of a new state constitution of its own earlier that same year, Therion wouldn't come to shed its status as a Reuselerrian crown colony until the early 20s. The extent of cooperation between the two states during this era revolved largely around joint infrastructure projects such as the Akzeleå-Viviensmund railway which opened in 22 CE, and the Lost Decade of Therionese isolation following on that kept the confederation as no more than a mere formality with the Hekkian government barely reacting to the events that led up to Lena Meyer's seizure of power in Viviensmund. Second Confederation Era (49 CE - ) Following the democratization efforts by the Meyer government in 46 CE, the Hekkian Peace and Love government under President Martin Liebe made moves towards closer confederate integration during the resumption of regular meetings between the two nation's leaders in early 49 CE. An amendment to the Articles of Confederation was presented to and approved by the parliaments of both states later that year which established for the first time a central confederate government with a President of the Confederation as its head executive elected by a legislature of state representatives to be known as the Confederate Council. Former Hekkian president Clara Björk was elected the first President of South Severia with the backing of liberal and conservative members of the council and spearheaded an agenda of unifying the two nation's armed forces under a confederate banner and consolidating foreign policy under a confederate department of foreign affairs. Hekkia and Therion remained in full control of domestic affairs and these changes were implemented slowly without much controversy. Economic crisis hit South Severia in the 50s with a shortage of agricultural imports from Red Pepperland causing a stock market crash in Therion and a resulting secondary food crisis in Hekkia leading to general strike in the western state followed by spiraling iron prices. The situation wouldn't come to stabilize until the end of the decade through coordinated efforts by the state governments to promote local food production and directed aid packets from Therionese investors. Clara Björk held on to her position through this period thanks to her well-earned reputation among confederate legislators aswell as the background role of the confederate government which was mainly concerned with diplomatic and military matters rather than domestic events. She would come to retire in 67 CE and was succeeded in the position by former Therionese chancellor Dana Löw. In 70 CE, the Confederate Council passed legislation imposing a term length of nine years on the presidency which had previosly been undefined. Liberals continued to dominate confederate politics in the second century and when Dana Löw left office in 85 CE after two terms as President of the Confederation, former Hekkian president Björn Roos was elected as the liberal nominee. Government and politics South Severia is governed under the Articles of Confederation, a treaty signed by the states of Hekkia and Therion in 2 CE defining the nature of their political relationship aswell as outlining certain basic rights and freedoms for citizens of both states. This document was expanded on in 49 CE with the introduction of a central confederate government. Confederate Council South Severian politics revolve around the Confederate Council (Eastonian: Förbundsrådet; Therionese: Bundesrat), a legislature composed of representatives appointed by the respective state governments. It has 48 seats, of which 24 are reserved for each state. The Confederate Council can independently enact legislation on matters that fall under their jurisdiction which as of the latest revision of the Articles of Confederation includes matters of defense, foreign affairs and the internal function of the confederate government. When acting outside of their defined jurisdiction, the Confederate Council is merely an advisory body and bills concerning such matters must be approved by the state parliaments of both Hekkia and Therion to enter confederate law. State representatives on the Confederate Council come from both partisan and non-partisan backgrounds and while their potential affiliation with a party at home is of significance, the main working groups in the council are the four confederate political groups: the Communist Bloc, the Social Democratic Bloc, the Liberal Bloc and the Conservative Bloc. Representatives from the same party can choose to be members of different political groups depending on their individual ideological standpoint, for example Solidarity has both social democratic and communist councillors. There have also been non-aligned parties at times who have chosen not to affiliate with any political group. The Confederate Council is seated in Akzeleå. President of the Confederation The Confederate Council in turn elects a President of the Confederation (Eastonian: Förbundspresident; Therionese: Bundespräsident) as South Severia's head of state and head of government. They lead the executive branch of government along with an appointed cabinet of ministers and are responsible for implementing policy set by the Confederate Council. The President is elected to a 9-year term but can be re-elected at the end of it if they still have the confidence of the council. List of Presidents Flag The South Severian flag was adopted in 2 CE by the Articles of Confederation as a symbol of unity between the two states. It is based on the blue, black and white military flag of Eastonia with a red bar at the hoist symbolising the confederation's Reuselerrian heritage. Eastonian_Armed_Forces-flag_600px.png|Flag of the Eastonian Defence Forces ReuselerriaFlag.png|Flag of Reuselerria SSC-flag.png|Flag of the South Severian Confederation Category:Severia